Special night as west Donegal father and son share corner in title win in Germany

West Donegal boxing trainer Ciaran Duffy had his father, Hugh Duffy, in the corner on Saturday night as one of his boxers landed a couple of notable titles.

Freddy Kiwitt retained his WBF World Super Welterweight title and added the WBO Global Super Welterweight strap when beating Suleiman Jafaru in Germany.

Kiwitt earned a unanimous decision after a 12-round war in the GP Joule Arena in Flensburg, Germany.

The brave and powerful Jafaru, who drops to 17-2, gave his all in a brutal and hard-fought bout, but Kiwitt came out on top to move to 29-3 on a card that was broadcast on DAZN.

In the packed arena, the Duffy father-and-son from Braade looked on proudly as Kiwitt gave Ciaran Duffy his latest win as a trainer.

Hugh Duffy, who turned 80 last September, was in the corner this time.

“It was great to have my dad with me in the corner,” Ciaran told Donegal Live. “We had a great win with Freddy and it’s a huge step for him.

“He is now scheduled to fight in Dubai at the end of April with the IBO world title also expected to be on the line.”

Duffy boxed as a pro himself and banked a 10-2-1 record between 2001 and 2010. In 2024, he was in the corner when Daniel Dubois stopped Jarrell Miller in Saudi Arabia.

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He operates the Duffy Boxing Elite Training Centre at Olympic Park in Hackney Wick, London.

In 2024, another of his boxers Alireza ‘Razor Ali’ Ghadiri won the IBO Continental super-bantamweight title when he stopped Lennox Lythgoe in the third round. 

Last year, Ghadiri, a London-based Iranian, defeated Kaddour Hmiani, who was retired by his corner at the end of the third round at York Hall, Bethnal Green.